A look at the History of Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Busts

These Steelers busts are not found in Canton, Ohio...

The 2024 NFL draft is over and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, their very first pick in the first round was offensive lineman Troy Fautanu from the University of Washington. Last year’s first pick was Broderick Jones who became a starter. Both appear to be solid picks and potential long-time starters. Pittsburgh’s draft history for first round picks has been littered with success stories. 

The names are household, and some are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Greene, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Bill Dudley, and Bennie Cunningham just to name a few. However, some were drafted in the first round by the Steelers who did not succeed in the NFL, and for those who really failed miserably. These types of players are called “busts.” The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their share.

Some of the most well-known players known as busts might be Green Bay’s Tony Mandarich or the Raiders’ Jamarcus Russell. For the Steelers what follows are five players, some who did make the team but just never made a significant mark. Others played very little in Pittsburgh and had short NFL careers. Here are five that can be called a Steelers’ bust.

• Darryl Sims, defensive lineman, drafted 1985.

This 6’3” 278-pound defender came to Pittsburgh with the coaching staff hoping he would be a staple in the next chapter of the Steel Curtain. The University of Wisconsin product saw time in all 16 games his rookie season but made very little impact on the field. He finished with two sacks but failed to start a single game. The following season saw the same results with one sack and one fumble recovery but again no starts. Sims was released after the season and signed with the Cleveland Browns where he lasted just two seasons starting 10 of 26 games but failed to get a sack. That was it and his career was over after just four seasons. As a Steeler, Sims can be regarded as a bust. Sims stayed around football and sports and today is the Athletics Director at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

• Huey Richardson, linebacker/defensive end, drafted 1991.

In college Richardson was a Florida Gator. In the NFL he is regarded by many Steelers fans as the team’s biggest bust in history. His rookie campaign saw just five games that Richardson played in. No starts and his sophomore season he was no longer in Pittsburgh after being cut and then signed by the New York Jets who also felt he was not NFL worthy and was released. The Washington Redskins tried to give him a shot but after just four games his NFL career was over. At Florida Richardson was an All-American but that success did not transcend into a pro career. The Steelers obviously felt his stats made him worthy of a first-round pick after sacking the quarterback 26 ½ times in his four seasons as a Gator. Richardson added 50 ½ tackles for a loss.

One significant moment in Richardson’s life came on 911. September 11, 2001, Richardson who now works for Merrill Lynch was in a meeting that morning, but it was scheduled to take place on an upper floor of the World Trade Center. Because of a delay in the lobby, he was not able to board the elevator and after the first strike on the building, he exited with others safely. If not for the delay, he may not be with us today.

• Jamain Stephens, offensive tackle, drafted 1997.

What we have here may very well be an even bigger bust than Huey Richardson. Stephens came out of a small school (North Carolina A&T), but Steelers scouts must have seen something on film that made him worthy of being a first-round selection. Perhaps it was his mammoth size of 6’6” weighing in at 336 pounds or something else. But he was in just eight games his first year then started 10 in 1998. But Stephens is well remembered for training camp in 1999 when he struggled to finish running drills and his work ethic was nothing to write home about so Head Coach Bill Cowher had seen enough and cut him from the team. Stephens was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals where in three seasons he appeared in 21 games but started only four. Stephens had a son who was playing football and had the same name but while a member of the California University of Pennsylvania’s football team, Stephens Jr. passed away at the age of 20 said to have been suffering from symptoms of Covid.

• Troy Edwards, wide receiver, drafted 1999.

Coming off his senior year at Louisiana Tech, Troy Edwards won the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 1998 for being the nation’s best wide receiver. Therefore, the Steelers must have believed they found the next great receiver for Pittsburgh. His senior year was full of accolades including a 405-yard receiving day while playing the University of Nebraska. In 1998 he also caught 27 touchdowns which still stands today as the NCAA Division I-A single season record. The Steelers drafted him following that season with the 13th pick overall and while he didn’t have generous size (5’10”, 195), he came with potential for being a particularly good receiver. Edwards lasted just three seasons wearing Black and Gold and might be remembered most for the 2001 AFC championship game when on a Josh Miller punt, Edwards ran out of bounds in coverage then returned to the field which brought a penalty flag and a re-kick of the punt. On the new punt, Troy Brown returned it to the house and the Steelers would lose to the Patriots sending them to the Super Bowl.

Perhaps that was his ticket out of Pittsburgh because in 2002 Edwards was playing in St. Louis. With the Rams, Edwards appeared in 14 games but started none and had just 18 receptions for an 8.7 yards per catch rate. In three seasons with the Steelers Edwards started in only seven games of the 46 he suited up for. His yards per game was pathetic with a 26.1 mark. His rookie season in Pittsburgh was his only productive season amassing 714 yards receiving with five touchdowns. After that it was all downhill. When the Rams said goodbye to Edwards after just one season, the Jacksonville Jaguars gave him a shot and he lasted two years in Florida. There he started 11 games, which was the most of his career but still only had 487 yards receiving on just 35 receptions. 2004 was not much better for Edwards and he had one more season left in him which came with the Detroit Lions in 2005. That season was the capper on his “bust” reputation because with Detroit Troy Edwards was in just three games and caught only two passes. He did manage to play in Arena Football rounding out his pro football career with the Grand Rapids Rampage. 

• Kenny Pickett, quarterback, drafted 2022.

The two greatest quarterbacks in Pittsburgh Steelers history, Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger were both first round draft picks. One is in the Hall of Fame and Big Ben is headed there one day for sure. When Roethlisberger hung up his cleats Pickett was drafted to be his successor. In the process, Mason Rudolph got the royal shaft as he was Big Ben’s backup for years but was overlooked to be the next quarterback in line as Mitch Trubisky was signed and became the starter with Pickett as his backup. Then in 2022, Pickett became the starter and would carry that torch into the 2023 season only to see his campaign marred by injuries and eventual benching in favor of Trubisky then Rudolph. Mason did such an excellent job in relief he and the team got to the playoffs and Pickett despite being healthy never got his job back.

In the off-season this year, Trubisky was sent packing and Russell Wilson signed to the team. Pickett took offense to that and demanded a trade. It might have been the dumbest decision of his career. After throwing his little hissy fit and getting his request of a trade to Philadelphia, now Pickett finds himself behind Eagles starter Jalen Hurts who at 25 years old will remain the Philadelphia starter for years to come. Had Pickett remained with the Steelers he may very well have been the successor to Russell Wilson who is in the twilight of his career. Instead, Pickett now will ride the bench and his only chance of playing is if Hurts plays so poorly, he needs to be benched or has an injury. Hurts playing poorly is highly unlikely.

With Pickett traded away it opened the door for the Steelers to trade for Justin Fields and all the sudden it’s an entirely new quarterback room in the ‘Burgh and a much better one at that. For what it’s worth, Kenny Pickett, in two years with the Steelers had a low quarterback rating of 78.8 and only 13 touchdown passes equal to his number of interceptions. He was also sacked 50 times. Food for thought…in 2023 while playing for the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns, oddly enough the same number Pickett threw for in two seasons. Wilson also threw only eight interceptions last year and 11 the year before. His rating last year was also 98. This for a team not nearly as good as the Steelers.

With that said, Pickett must be considered a bust. There are probably more names we could add to this list and of course there are those first round picks that ended up with great Steelers careers. But for these five players, that was not the case.